2011 MBP 17" won't boot Hardware Test

My MacBook Pro is acting strangely lately.  When I close the lid, sometimes it doesn't go to sleep.  Also, when I shut it down via the menu system, it will go to a blue screen and just hang there for 30-60 seconds before shutting off.  Sometimes it just goes to that blue screen while doing random tasks.
Almost every time I'm hooked up via Thunderbolt->HDMI, when I unplug the cable (disconnect from TV), the computer goes to a blue screen.
I'm trying to run the Hardware Test, but right when that OS9 menu comes up, the computer shuts down instantly.  I've tried holding F2 while booting as well as holding 'D' while booting (with USB OSX 10.6.7 Install DVD inserted). No dice with either one.
I'm running 10.6.8 with 16GB of SuperTalent RAM.  I have a 120GB Intel 320 SSD in the optical bay and the stock 750GB  HDD in the stock position.
Is my laptop now a dud that needs replacing?

Actually, I might have solved my problem.  The last time I set this laptop up, I had directly copied my SSD to another HDD.  When I put the SSD back in, I copied it back from Disk Utility on the boot up disk, again.  That's right around when all of my problems started.
To solve it, I did a Time Machine backup, put in the install USB and formatted the drive (one-pass zeroed-out, to be exact), and re-installed 10.6.7.  I updated it to 10.6.8, then used migration assistant to pull my documents/apps back onto the drive.
Since then, everything has been working very well.  The screen has only turned blue once (in about a month), and it was only briefly.  I haven't tried to run a hardware test from the install USB, but I'll do that soon to see if it works now.
I also took it into an Apple Certified Technician store before fixing the SSD issue, and they could find nothing with the hardware test they ran on it.
TL;DR = do a fresh install and then bring your files back.

Similar Messages

  • Mac mini won't boot - hardware test error

    my mac mini isn't booting... stuck on the grey apple screen with spinning circle.
    have ran the hardware test on the OSX DVD and i get the following error
    **ERROR*CODE***ERROR*CODE**
    2STF/8/3: ATA-100 ata-6 - Master
    **ERROR*CODE***ERROR*CODE**
    i assume this means that the HDD is knackered ?

    The variable reports on the hard drive are not entirely unusual with a drive that has problems, but it's not a good sign in general that you are having issues with booting to the install disk. That has potential to reflect a controller error that could be minor in nature and even be as simple as a poor connection on the drive carrier which has both drives mounted to it.
    Try booting to the OS installer again. If you can get past the language selection screen it means OSX (the very basic version on the installer) has loaded, and that's a good sign. There's no reason from that point that the Utilities menu wouldn't pull down as normal and disk utility run from there. If you can get that far, see if the internal drive is visible on the left of the disk utility app, and if so, select it (there may be two entries for it, either will do) then click the repair disk button.

  • Won't boot Hardware Test

    I an using the Apple install disk 1 which contains OS X 10.4 even though I am running OS X 10.5. That is what is says to do. I have tried holding the "D" key before the computer makes the bong. During the Bong and after the Bong. No matter what I do it seems to continue to boot in to the normal ol' OS X 10.5. What am I doing wrong. This is driving me crazy after the 9th try and I just need to figure out what is causing all of these kernel panics.

    You might not know this, but if you have an older Intel Mac with the new Aluminum Apple Keyboard then you will not b able to use the start up keys. There are a few ways to get around this. First you can take your Apple remote and hold down the menu key on it during start up. This will trigger the boot selection tool. Also you can hook you keyboard up to a hub that has external power running to it. Or lastly, you can simply get a older Keyboard or a PC one.
    All of this is caused by the fact that the new Apple Keyboards don't have enough power to be recognized until the Kernel has started. Which at this point it too late.
    Also I would like to say that as long as you get the key punched before the spinning gear shows up then you are doing it wright.
    I hope that Apple will be able to fix this as it is a major problem to work around, and I know it has caused me many hours of frustration.

  • MBP 13' Won't boot from CD or external Drive

    Recently my MBP 13 (newest version) occasionally crashes with the grey screen death which forces me to hard shut down. This led me to believe my directory may be corrupted so I tried to boot from my external OS X (Snow Leopard) with DiskWarrior installed to do the repair. Unfortunately, when the grey Apple logo shows up, the computer crashes again.
    I tried again using original recovery CD to boot hoping to use Disk Utility, but it does the same thing where it crashes at the Apple logo.
    I can't seem to figure out why. Anyone have experience with this issue? how do I resolve this issue???!
    Thanks

    JL9283 wrote:
    The external drive is a clone of a different computer.
    This could be why it won't boot to it. It may not have the correct drivers to run the 13'. You really should have a clone of each Mac you own. Perfect for trouble shooting this type of thing. You can partition an external to have clones of several different Macs. I do that, plus I clone each to an extra internal on the desktop models.
    However, if this have any impact it should've occurred in the past?
    I think you just got lucky in the past.
    I just spent 2 hrs re-installing OS X again and restoring. It's still doing the same thing. (It appears I can boot from the restore CD, but not external drive).
    What install method did you use please?
    If you can boot from the DVD, go to disk utility and see what your internal drives S.M.A.R.T. status is. Might as well run a Disk Repair while you are there.
    Also, since you can boot from disks,
    I would try running the extended version of your Apple Hardware Test.
    It's not perfect but may flag something.
    I'm assuming you can't boot from your DiskWarrior disk cause it's an older version that won't boot the new 13'?
    That's the case for me and my MacBook. Since you can't boot to your bad clone, do you still have another Mac around? If so, you could boot in Target Disk Mode and use Diskwarrior from the other computer to try and repair the 13'. 
    DALE

  • MacBookpro Early 2011 graphic issue won't boot

    Hello,
    My Early 2011 MacBookPro suddenly suffered from graphics issues for a few days then it won't boot at all.
    The hardware test says it is ok and my hard drive too. But when I want to boot, the apple appears and the dong too, but then blank screen. It is the same with a bootcamp boot, but with a blue screen with lines all over the screen. The recovery partition doesn't start either. But I can access boot from my hard drive with another Mac on target mode.
    Anyway Apple doesn't admit there's a problem a want me to pay the reparation, because they don't report it as a real problem, saying that I damaged the computer. But there are threads here and all over the internet, and they don't want to do anything.
    On the phone, the apple guy told me that I had to pay 80$ to see if there is any problem , and " maybe if we see there's a fabrication problem, we'll fix it for free ". Do I have to trust them ? What can I do to ?
    Thank you

    This thread may be helpful -> https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4766577?tstart=0.
    You should at least add your experience and see if those who have come up with 'quick fixes' can help you with your problem.
    Good luck,
    Clinton

  • MBP MA610LL won't boot with a working drivem but powers up

    I have a MBP that powers up and won't boot. I swap HD with a friends drive (same system) and it still won't boot. Any ideas? Bus problem? Bad RAM? Should I sent to tech support, but I have don't have the service plan.
    Any Ideas?
    Thanks!

    Welcome to Apple Discussions!
    Can you boot from a disc? One thing to try is to hold down "D" while starting up and try to boot from Install Disc #1. This should get you to the Apple Hardware Test. Run the extended version of the test--it will check your hardware, including the RAM. If you have a hardware problem, like bad RAM, it will give you an error code. If you get an error code, please post back with it.
    If you do not get any error codes, eject the disc. Then boot from it again, this time holding down "C" as you boot up. Navigate to Disk Utility, click on your hard drive by brand name, and go to the First Aid tab. Verify and repair if possible both permissions and the disk. This may take a while. Post back with how it went.
    If you have access to an Apple Store, you could also make an appointment with the genius bar and take it there. This won't cost anything just to talk to the genius, and if you get a smart genius, he might be able to figure out what is wrong and what to do about it. If you decide to do this, go ahead and run the AHT first and bring along the discs that originally came with your machine.
    Good luck!

  • 2011 MBP i7 running slow. Hardware limitations?

    I have a early 2011 MBP 15" with 2.3 GHz Core i7, 8 GB RAM, 750 GB HD. I purposely put in as much RAM as possible as I usually run a lot of apps simulataneously.
    I will usually have either a number of Microsoft Office (2011) programs open at once, Windows 7 64 bit running in Parallels 7 (also running a number of apps), or a combination of both. I have noticed that my computer seems to be running fairly slow, especially given the i7 processor and the RAM upgrade. When booting up windows in parallels, it can sometimes take upwards of 15 minutes to get the windows side of things to work. While windows is booting up, the mac side tends to be extremely slow, pinwheeling quite a bit. Additionally, Microsoft Outlook 2011 is almost unusable on the mac side of things (I realize this may be a result of the software). Even after  shut down Windows, the mac side can still tend to run fairly slow.
    750 GB HD with 100 GB partitions for Windows. WIndows HD is 70GB/100GB used.
    Designated 4GB RAM for mac side/4GB for windows.
    When viewing activity monitor, the processors are rarely above 50%, usually down around 10%, or less. RAM is almost always fully utilized (less than 20MB free).
    My question is: do you think this is a software related issue, as it relates to windows/parrallels/microsoft programs? Or is this a hardware limited issue? Do I need more RAM? Could I possible benefit from an SSD/Hybrid drive? I use my computer for work and for personal use, so it is essential that I am able to use both Windows and Mac simultaneously.
    Thanks for the help!

    Also... be sure to balance your allocation of RAM between your Windows virtual machine and OS X.  If you allocate too much to your virtual machine, OS X will take a significant performance hit... which would in-turn cause your virtual machine to slow to a crawl.  Depending on what you're doing, you should probably not set your virtual machine to more than 4GB.  The amount of RAM you allocate to the virtual machine is basically taken whether you need it or not.  For example, if you allocate 6GB to your virtual machine, as soon as you launch the virtual machine, regardless of what applications you are running in it, only 2GB will be available to OS X.  Making sure both OS X and your virtual machine have enough RAM allocated to them is important.
    If you're RAM has been balanced in your settings for your virtual machine and your performance is still poor, you may need to go with more RAM.  8GB is generally more than enough for most people, but your usage / expectations are on the high side.  Keeping in mind everything you have running... opening this applications, modifying this file, etc... you're also working your hard drive pretty hard.  An SSD would make a significant difference in performance.  Of course there is a premium associated with a high capacity SSD (which I would imagine you would want).

  • New-bought mbp 13' got error in Hardware testing

    Today I' m so excited to take my first macbook pro home, start to be familiar with it very quickly, and enjoyed it.
    No problem found, but just curiously lauched the Apple Hardware Testing by pressing D when restarting.
    Ooops, one error hit me and upset me.
    " 4SNS/1/C0000008: TPCD--124 ".
    I tried to google it but only found similiar errors which're related to sensor or tempreture problem.
    And, now, who could help and tell me what's wrong with my NEW-BOUGHT machine?
    Thanks a looooot in advance !

    Why not return it to the store?
    A little googling tells me that it is a temperature sensor error, returning to the store is the only sensible move for a day old machine,
    Message was edited by: Csound1

  • MBP 13" Won't Boot, Gray Screen w/ ? Folder, Hard Drive is perfectly fine

    I have a 13" Macbook Pro that won't boot up. When I used my install disk to get to disk utility, it did not recognize that there were any drives in the computer.
    I tried:
    Removing the hard drive and plugging it into another computer using a SATA to USB adapter. It worked fine and I could see all of the files on the hard drive. I ran the disk utility on another Mac to see if there were errors. It found none. I then restarted the other Mac and selected to boot from the USB drive and it booted perfectly fine. I tried reconnecting and seeing if it would boot now for some reason (machines are funny like that). It didn't; same problem.
    Next, I tried:
    Installing a different hard drive to see if the disk utility program would see it. It did not.
    Then, I tried:
    Connecting the original hard drive to the defective Mac using the SATA to USB adapter and trying to boot from USB. This worked fine.
    Conclusions so far:
    -The Hard Drive is 100% ok
    -The Hard Drive Cable MAY be defective
    -If the Hard Drive Cable is not at fault, there MAY be a problem with the logic board.
    I was wondering if anyone has any further ideas for me before I try swapping out the hard drive/infrared cable?
    Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.

    I have pretty much the same problem, although I don't get the question mark, I get the gray screen with a symbol like a "no entry" sign. In other words, circle with a slash through it. Very odd. Never seen that before. I booted from two different external drives and the computer boots fine. The internal drive mounts on my desktop and is accessible, nothing is wrong. I cloned the internal drive to one of the external drives and booted from that fine as well.
    The disk has been repaired via Drive Genius. I rebuilt the directory through Drive Genius and it seems to run just fine.
    It seems it may be as simple as a bad or loose cable, but since the icon is something I'd never seen I wanted to see if anyone knows what that icon might mean. The only new thing I did last week was defrag the drive through Drive Genius.
    Oh also, I replaced the battery last year from OWC. The glue holding the silver outer plate has come off so that battery, though working fine, is a bit of a pain. Since the battery is lose inside that casing, I was wondering if maybe there is a strain internally. I don't know the wiring that's near the battery connection.
    Thanks for any help

  • My MBP Retina won't boot!

    I turned off my mac last night while Time Machine was still backing up my files to my external drive.  Turned it on this morning but then it won't get past the apple logo with the spinning progress circle. Tried to boot into safe mode but then the bar only gets filled to a third then the spinning circle comes up again. After 45 mins, it's still stuck at the circle. Used internet recovery then disk utility after to check my drive but then it says it's okay so I restarted it by clicking the apple logo at the top bar. When I hold cmd+r at startup, it immediately goes to internet recovery. Tried resetting the nvram thing, too, but that didn't help. I do have time machine backups but the files I need weren't backed up. Any suggestions on how to get past the spinning circle without using those? I'm desperate. Any help would be appreciated.
    Btw, the backups are on my external drive.

    Take each of these steps that you haven't already tried. Stop when the problem is resolved.
    Step 1
    The first step in dealing with a boot failure is to secure your data. If you want to preserve the contents of the startup drive, and you don't already have at least one current backup, you must try to back up now, before you do anything else. It may or may not be possible. If you don't care about the data that has changed since your last backup, you can skip this step.   
    There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to boot. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.a. Boot into Recovery by holding down the key combination command-R at the startup chime, or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) Release the keys when you see a gray screen with a spinning dial. When the OS X Utilities screen appears, launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in the support article linked below, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.”
    How to back up and restore your files
    b. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, boot the non-working Mac in target disk mode by holding down the key combination command-T at the startup chime. Connect the two Macs with a FireWire or Thunderbolt cable. The internal drive of the machine running in target mode will mount as an external drive on the other machine. Copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
    How to use and troubleshoot FireWire target disk mode
    c. If the internal drive of the non-working Mac is user-replaceable, remove it and mount it in an external enclosure or drive dock. Use another Mac to copy the data.
    Step 2
    Press and hold the power button until the power shuts off. Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed to boot, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Use a different keyboard and/or mouse, if those devices are wired. If you can boot now, one of the devices you disconnected, or a combination of them, is causing the problem. Finding out which one is a process of elimination.
    If you've booted from an external storage device, make sure that your internal boot volume is selected in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.
    Step 3
    Boot in safe mode.* The instructions provided by Apple are as follows:
    Shut down your computer, wait 30 seconds, and then hold down the shift key while pressing the power button.
    When you see the gray Apple logo, release the shift key.
    If you are prompted to log in, type your password, and then hold down the shift key again as you click Log in.
    Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs.
    The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
    *Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t boot in safe mode. Post for further instructions.
    When you boot in safe mode, it's normal to see a dark gray progress bar on a light gray background. If the progress bar gets stuck for more than a few minutes, or if the system shuts down automatically while the progress bar is displayed, your boot volume is damaged and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to step 5.
    If you can boot and log in now, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on your boot volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name.) Check that you have at least 9 GB of available space, as shown in the window. If you don't, copy as many files as necessary to another volume (not another folder on the same volume) and delete the originals. Deletion isn't complete until you empty the Trash again. Do this until the available space is more than 9 GB. Then reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)
    If the boot process hangs again, the problem is likely caused by a third-party system modification that you installed. Post for further instructions.
    Step 4
    Sometimes a boot failure can be resolved by resetting the NVRAM.
    Step 5
    Launch Disk Utility in Recovery mode (see step 1.) Select your startup volume, then run Repair Disk. If any problems are found, repeat until clear. If Disk Utility reports that the volume can't be repaired, the drive has malfunctioned and should be replaced. You might choose to tolerate one such malfunction in the life of the drive. In that case, erase the volume and restore from a backup. If the same thing ever happens again, replace the drive immediately.
    This is one of the rare situations in which you should also run Repair Permissions, ignoring the false warnings it may produce. Look for the line "Permissions repair complete" at the end of the output. Then reboot as usual.
    Step 6
    Boot into Recovery again. When the OS X Utilities screen appears, follow the prompts to reinstall the OS. If your Mac was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade.
    Note: You need an always-on Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection to the Internet to use Recovery. It won’t work with USB or PPPoE modems, or with proxy servers, or with networks that require a certificate for authentication.
    Step 7
    Repeat step 6, but this time erase the boot volume in Disk Utility before installing. The system should automatically reboot into the Setup Assistant. Follow the prompts to transfer your data from a backup.
    Step 8
    A dead logic-board battery in a Mac Pro can cause a gray screen at boot. Typically the boot failure will be preceded by loss of the startup disk and system clock settings. See the user manual for replacement instructions.
    Step 9
    If you get this far, you're probably dealing with a hardware fault. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store to have the machine tested.

  • Early 2011 MBP Recurring Issues (Safe Boot Startup, MerpAD Office365, Recovered files, etc.)

    Hello,
    I realize there are threads about Safe-Boot mode. And about MerpAD Office365 files. And about "Recovered files" folders in the trashcan.
    But my early 2011 MacBook Pro is doing it all. And no one has been able to figure out why.
    My MBP has been to the Genius Bar so many times the people there know me by first name, and remember every visit. To date, here's what's been done to it:
    1. Hard drive wipe and re-install (thinking it was the software)
    2. Replaced bluetooth keyboard and mouse (thinking it was a problem with Bluetooth)
    3. Numerous in-store diagnostic checks (thinking it was the hard drive)
    4. Replacement of memory chip, logic board, magsafe charger coupling, and battery (thinking it was a problem the Geniuses couldn't figure out)
    Everything has, essentially, been replaced. Yet, it still starts in Safe Boot mode -- three times this week so far, each time taking 5-6 minutes to recover and restart so that I can use it.
    Here's what I'm running:
    Processor: 2.7 GHz Intel Core i7
    Memory: 4GB 1333 MHz DDR3
    Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000 384 MB
    Software: Mac OS X Lion 10.7.5 (11G63)
    I've owned Macs since the late 1990s. This is my third MacBook Pro. Nothing I've ever owned from Apple has ever been this prone to failure and frustration.
    Can anyone help figure out what's going on with this machine?
    Thank you in advance.
    Bill

    I'm having the exact same problem. Since installing Yosemite, my iMac (late-2013 model with 32GB of RAM) is constantly hanging ... the spinning beach ball pops up constantly. It pops up when I open files, it pops up when I open windows, it pops up when I close apps, it pops up when I open apps, etc., etc., etc. I've tried everything and can't get it to stop. And to make matters worse, I'm having the exact same problem on my 2010 iMac. It's driving me nuts.

  • Mid 2011 Macbook Air won't boot after installing Little Snitch 3. Grey Screen.

    Hi all
    I think the answer is probably that my SSD is toast but here's the symptoms in case anyone else has experienced this.
    I installed Adobe Lightroom and also got round to upgrading my Little Snitch license and finally putting it on my 11" Air (mid 2011, latest version of Lion) as I use the computer more often than my Pro. After restarting as LS requires I was met with the grey Apple logo screen with no spinning gear. I forced a shut down and started again, again the logo screen, no spinning gear. I tried booting in to safe mode and got only a grey screen, then I tried booting in to recovery mode and got the Apple Logo again. I also tried cmd + C and alt/option with an external DVD drive and Snow Leopard with no luck
    Then I tried a SMC reset, after that I started up and only got the Logo again. I reset the PRAM and the main effect of that was to reset the system volume to max so now I can hear the POST chime but also since the PRAM reset I get only the grey screen and no further. I tried to boot from a USB Lion recovery but only the grey screen. I have also tried booting with cmd +S with no luck either. Internet recovery doesn't work either.
    The keyboard seems to be completely unresponsive, the caps lock key doesn't light up at all and I've a feeling that it's either something as simple as a problem with the keyboard or the SSD is kaput. I think that Little Snitch is a coincidence as there's nothing like this anywhere on the web as far as I can tell with Google and there doesn't appear to be anything on these forums that quite matches, especially the part about not being able to use and alternative boot method.
    Anyone out there got any ideas?
    Cheers
    John

    Hi and thank you for your response.
    The fans only kick in when the machine freezes.
    I updated from Snow Leopard to Lion using the App Store. The install was successful and worked for about 30 mins then the unresponsive behavior started. Once I rebooted, I received the issue previously stated above (i.e., the trackpad and keyboard is unresponsive).
    I've also tried booting using the Option key and choosing the Recovery Mode. Once in Recovery Mode the same crash happens  (i.e., the trackpad and keyboard is unresponsive)

  • Battery won't charge, Hardware test negative

    My PB battery was replaced as part of the exchange program to replace the potential fire hazard batteries in the latter half of 2006.
    Everything was fine for a couple of months but the battery suddenly stopped charging just after xmas. The battery is indicated to be present with (calculating) next to the battery symbol in the toolbar. The adaptor ring is lit orange. 'About this Mac' also indictes that the battery is present, adaptor connected but not charging. The computer is otherwise fine when running from the power adaptor but if the cable is disconnected the computer will announce that it is running on reserve battery power and go to sleep.
    I tried all the suggested actions like resetting the PMU and PRAM and eventually spoke to Apple who agreed to send me a new battery. The new battery arrived but the problem remains the same.
    I ran the full Apple Hardware diagnostic test which found no problems.
    Any ideas as to what might be the problem?
      Mac OS X (10.4.8)   2GB RAM

    I've been having the same problem with my Powerbook since the day I bought it. The battery it shipped with was DOA so I called apple to have it replaced. At first they didn't want to, as it is a battery, but agreed to send a new one. A month later my new battery suddenly wouldn't hold a charge. This time I took to an apple service center and they couldn't find anything wrong with the computer and said it was just a bad battery and again gave me a replacement. 3 months later, the battery no longer holds a charge. So, I am on my 4th battery now (this time I bought a brand new one hoping I would get lucky). I am desperate to solve this problem too. I know I didn't do anything to destroy the battery's capacity as in each circumstance I had only not used the computer for long periods of time (maybe 3 weeks at most) and left the battery in the computer…at this point I am afraid to even use my computer.
    15 in Powebook g4   Mac OS X (10.4.8)  

  • MacBook Pro (2011) 13 inch won't boot up

    The computer will chime. The screen is grey with the apple logo. There is a status bar below the apple that takes about 5 minutes to get  the end. Then the computer shuts down.
    I tried the shift, option, command trick...doesn't work.
    Also tried option,command, P, R. Doesn't work either.
    Any ideas?
    Thanks.

    digidude101,
    do you have the Early 2011 MacBook Pro, or the Late 2011 MacBook Pro? (If you’re not sure, what speed CPU does it have?) Which version of OS X is installed on it?

  • MBP 2006 won't boot?

    Problem:
    Suddenly, I try to boot, but I get spinning gear under the apple for a long time, then, spinning gear on bluescreen for quite a while, then blue screen, blank, then blue screen with moveable cursor.
    Background:
    I used it successfully all morning, burning discs with an LG external op drive, no probs.  I installed any video converter for intel mac.  I powered down and when I rebooted, above symptoms.
    I have tried:
    Reset PRAM/NVRAM (?) (held down cmd/opt/p/r at boot for 2 chimes), tried a safeboot (didn't work), and I tried starting from the inst. disc (held down "c") (didn't work)
    Stuck on blue screen with cursor, no light on lid release button until I close the lid, but doesn't sleep(?) (not fading in/out of light) then no display when I reopen...
    What to do now? 

    Update:
    I'm hoping all hope is not lost.  I was able to "boot to the CD", tried to Repair Disk, says "Invalid Extent Entry", and "Disk cannot be repaired"
    Tried an Arch and Inst, be failed after verifying the Install Disc, said, "Try again".
    Any help is appreciated.  BTW, I got to the disc by holding the Opt. key (not C) at start..?   Saw Macintosh HD and Install Disc, chose the disc and Utilities menu for Disk Utility.

Maybe you are looking for